And alfred osolin



Aug. 26, *1930. J. c. HoPKlNs ET AL MUD GUN Filed July l, 1929 4 sheets-sheet 2 Iweizons.-

Aug. 26, 1930.

MUD GUN Filed July 1, 1929 l 4Sheets-Sheet 3 v vi AMM.

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IH H mw Aug. 26, 1930, J. c. HOPKINS ET AL 1,774,373

MUD- GUN Filed July l, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 52 VSM/L9 Innere/60219. .fof/N C HOP/(MAES and 40C-@ED O50 Patented Aug. 26, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT vcaricia;

JOI-IN C. .HOPKINS, OF LAKEWOOD, OHIO, AND ALFRED OSOLIN, F CLEVELAND, OHIO MUD GUN Application led July 1, 1929. Serial No. 375,252.

This invention relates to mud gun mechanisms, and more particularly to mud guns for closing blast-furnace tap-holes, and has for one of its objects the provision of an improved gun of the screw type employing a single screw to force the mud into the hole.

Another object is to provide a novel arrangement for feeding the mud from` the supply hopper into the gun barrel. l

A further object is to provide a novel nozzle design on the gun barrel which, due to its taper, will rapidly recede from the clay when the gun is being pulled out of the tap-hole, thereby causing a substantial saving of .clay material and labor in maintaining the clay wall work.

A still further object is to provide a gun mechanism having means for automatically locking the gun carriage to the furnace when the gun is moved into operative position.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view showing a mud gun constructed in accordance with this invention in operative position on a furnace.

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Figure 3 is a plan view, partly in section, of the gun.

, Figure 4 is a sectional elevation 4taken on the line IV-IV of Figure 3. Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line V-V of Fi ure 3.

Figure 6 is a rear end view o the gun showing the drive mechanism.

Referring more particularly to the draw- 35. ings, the letter A designates a portion of a blast-furnace wall. The wall A is of usual and well known construction and has the usual iron tap-hole 3 which opens into an iron runner-trough 4.

10 The mud gun is designated generally by the letter C and is mounted on a horizontally swinging carriage B. The carriage B may be of any preferred construction or design but is generally of a platform type and is mounted for rotary movement about a pedestal support 5. The support 5 has a worm- Wheel 6 iixedly mounted thereon and a worm 7 is journaled on the carriage B and meshed with the worm-wheel 6. l

59 The worm 7 is adapted to be driven by a motor 8. A second motor 9 is provided for v operating a gun seating and unseating mechanism consisting of a shaft 9a having a link and lever connection 9b with the gun and 4carrying a rack 9c which is meshed with a drive-pinion 9d of a gear reducing unit 9 which is coupled with the armature shaft of the motor 9.

The mud gun C is supported on links 10 suspended from the carriage B and is movable relative to the carriage for movement gun is being pulled out of the hole 3 and,A

therefore, substantial savingV of clay and labor of maintaining the clay wall work is effected.

A bearing housing 17 is secured to the rear end of the barrel 12 and a gear housing 18 is secured to and closes the rear end of the bearing housing 17. The conveyer housing or barrel 12 has its upper wall stepped upwardly intermediate its ends to form a hopper 19 in which the clay or mud to be used 1n stopping thehole 3 is stored.

A screw conveyer 20 is mounted in the barrel or conveyer housing 12 and extends from the rear end of said housing forwardly into the nose of nozzle portion 13. The conveyer 20 is provided with spiral flights 21 and. 1s adapted to be rotated in a counter-clockwise direction.

A feed-roller 22 is mounted on one side of the conveyer housing 12 with its aXis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the conveyer and projecting through the side Wall of the hopper 19. The roller 22 is adapted to be rotated in a clockwise direction. Y

The conveyer 20 is ada ted to force clay or other lastic materials rom the hop er 19 throng the conveyer housing or gun arrel lUl 12 andout of the nozzle 13 under pressure to plug thetap-hole 3 of the furnace. Therefore it is essential that there be no back-flow of the clay or plastic material.

In order to prevent a bach-flow of the clay or plastic material, the forward end wall of the hopper at its point of juncture with the conveyer housing, as at 23a, is parallel with the angle of the flight on the conveyor 2G. By forming the' lower end of the forward wall ot the hopper on the angle, as above described, the flight on the conveyor will simultaneously close the space between the forward edge of the hopper and the conveyer flight as said conveyer is rotated. As the feed roller 22 is rotated in the opposite direction to that of the conveyer 20, the clay is fed between the conveyer flights and prevented from sticking to the side of the hopper 19.

The conveyer 2O is fiXedly mounted on a shaft 23, and the rear end of this shaft which is journaled in bearings 24rand 25 in the bearing housing 17, is extended beyond the bearing housing into the gear housing 18, and carries a gear 26 which is meshed with the fced-roller driving gear 27 and the drivepinion 28 of a drive-motor 29 carried by the gun. The motor 29 may be powered by electricity, fluid or other means, as desired.

The feed-roller 22 is provided withA a shaf SO, and one end of said shaft is journaled in a bearing 31 in the gear housing 18 and carries the gear 27, while the other end of said shaft is j ournaled in a bearing 82.

The motor 29 is adapted to rotate the shaft 23 counter-clockwise and consequently7 since the shaft 23 and conveyer 2O are secured together, the conveyer 20 will likewise be rotated in a counter-clockwise direction, while the shaft 30 and feed-roller 22 will be rotated clockwise since the shaft 30 is connected directly to the feed-roller 22 and is driven by the gear 27 through the gear 26.

The shaft 23 is provided with a thrust bearing 33 mounted between a. shoulder 38a on the shaft and the gear housing 18. The bear-4 ing 33 is adapted to take up the roar thrust of the conveyor as it forces the clay through the gun.

The carriage B is adapted to be automatically locked to the furnace wall when the carriage is swung around into operative position.

A coupler clevis is mounted on the furnace wall A, and a second clevis 36 is mounted on the front of the carriage and carries a vertically disposed bar 37. A lat-ch 38 is pivotally mounted in the clevis 35 for horizontal movement. A coupler lockingpin 39 is mounted for vertical movement through a guide bracket 4l() and suitable apertures 41 in the clevis 35. The pin 39 is adapted to be raised above the upper face of the latch 38 and the latch is adapted to be swung back under the pin when the coupling is in inoperative position. lVhen the carriage is moved into operative position the bar 37 will strike or engage the latch 38 and swing it around its pivotal mounting so as to hold the bar 37 etweenthe latch 38 and clevis 35. lllhen the latch 88 is moved about its pivot by the bar 3'? the pin 39 will drop through the apeil` turcs t1 in the clevis and loer the latch 38 against retraction unt-il said pin 39 is raised above the latch. y

A length of cable or the like i3 is secured to the upper end of the pin and is trained over suitable sheave wheels or other guides (not shown) to a point handy to the operator.

Throughout this specification the word mud is to be construed broadly and is meant to cover clay or any other plastic material.

ln operation, the hopper 19 will be filled with mud, and the carriage B will be operated to swing the gun around into operative position.

llhen the carriage B has moved around into operative position the coupling mechanism will lock the carriage in position. rThe motor 29 will then he started to operate the conveyer 2O and feed-roller 22 simultaneously in opposite directions so as to cause the mud, clay or other material to be pulled out of the hopper 19 and forced throughv the gun barrel or conveyer housing 12 and out of the nozzle 13 in a continuous stream until the hole 3 is filled or plugged.

l/Vhile we have shown and described certain specific embodiments of our invention it Tvill be understood that we do not wish to be limited thereto, since various modifications may be made without departing from the scope thereof, as delined in the appended claims. y

We claim:

l. A mud gun for closing furnace tap-holes comprising a mud hopper, a screw conveyor housing below and communicating with said hopper, a single screw conveyer mounted in said ,housing and extending undex` said hopper, the forward end wall of said hopper at the point of junction with said conveyer housing being inclined on an angle parallel with the angle of the `flights on said conveyor so that the flights on said conveyor will simultaneously seal the entire length of the forward edge of the hopper and prevent backtlow of the mud being forced forward by said conveyer, a feed-roller journaled on said conveyer housing and extending tb rough an opening in the side wall of said mud hopper, and means for simultaneously driving said conveyer and said feed-roller.

2. The combination with a blast-furnace, of a clay gun mechanism comprising a swinging carrier, a clay gun mounted on said carrier, a coupling member on said carriage, a cooperating coupling member on said furnace, a bar on said coupling member on said carriage, a swinging latch on said coupling member on said furnace, said latch being llO adapted to automatically engage around said bar when said coupling members are moved together,` and meansV for automatically locking said latch against reverse movement when it is moved to engage around said bar.

3. The combination with a blast-furnace, of a clay gun mechanism comprising a swinging carrier, a clay gun mounted ou said carrier, a. coupling member on said carriage, a cooperating coupling member on said furnace, saidv coupling members being adapted to be automatically locked together when said carriage is moved toward said furnace to thereby lock'said carriage againstreverse position.

In testimony whereof, We have hereunto set our hands.

JOHN C. HOPKINS. ALFRED OSOLIN. 

